The NBA has been experiencing Western Conference supremacy since the moment Michael Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls for the second time following the 1998 NBA Finals. East teams have won plenty of championships over that time period — most recently, the 2019 Toronto Raptors, 2021 Milwaukee Bucks, and 2024 Boston Celtics — but no one disputes that life is always harder in the West. With recent No. 1 overall picks Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg both landing in the West via the draft lottery, the Western Conference should continue to be superior moving forward.
NBA expansion is just ahead, with a vote coming at this week’s board of governors meetings to start the process of adding two new teams for the 2028-29 season. With franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas expected to be added, one existing team is going to move East. The league has narrowed its choices down to two candidates, per Shams Charania:
Executives across the NBA expect either the Minnesota Timberwolves or Memphis Grizzlies to move to the East to realign conferences with 16 each when Seattle and Las Vegas become West teams.
For the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves, the opportunity to move to the East feels almost as important as draft lottery results. One of these teams is about to have a much easier path to contention going forward in the weaker conference due to factors totally outside of their control.
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Here’s one mock up of what the conferences could look like if the Wolves move East:
It’s pretty difficult to project what the league is going to look like in 2028-29 and beyond. What if the big three from this year’s NBA draft class — Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Darryn Peterson — all end up in the East? Suddenly that conference looks a lot harder moving forward. Who’s to say that Anthony Edwards will even be on the Wolves by then? A few years ago, no one would have thought the Grizzlies would move on from Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane while begging teams to take Ja Morant, but it’s all happened.
It’s fair to point out that the East has closed the gap a bit this season, but the West still looks much better going forward with Wembanyama and Flagg just starting their rise, plus the Thunder being flush with draft assets and young stars. If the Wolves were in the East this year, I might pick them to reach the NBA Finals. Instead, they will have to fight just to make it out of the first round in the West.
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Can the Wolves or Grizzlies bride the committee making this decision in any way? It would be worth it. The West continues to dominate the NBA, and moving East would be a huge deal for any franchise.